Lieberman Rules Out Supporting Minority Government, Sabotaging Potential Prime Minister's PM Bid
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, declared he will not support a minority government led by the potential prime minister and will not cooperate with Arab or Haredi parties. This directly obstructs the potential prime minister's potential path to premiership, which hinged on Arab party support. Lieberman also stated his party would only form a coalition with Zionist parties and would not sit with Netanyahu's Likud. Analysts are divided on whether Lieberman is positioning himself for leadership or merely countering Likud's claims.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Avigdor Lieberman will not support a minority government led by the potential prime minister or sit with Arab/Haredi parties.
- Lieberman's stance eliminates the potential prime minister's primary strategy for becoming prime minister.
- Yisrael Beiteinu will only form a coalition with Zionist parties, excluding Arab and Haredi factions.
- Lieberman stated Likud could be a partner without Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Analysts speculate Lieberman may be positioning himself for the premiership.
- Lieberman expressed confidence in securing a solid majority in the upcoming elections.
Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, announced Thursday that he would not support any minority government led by the potential prime minister and would not sit with Arab or Haredi parties. This declaration effectively blocks the potential prime minister's primary path to becoming prime minister, which relied on the abstention or support of Arab parties.
Lieberman stated his party's position is clear: "We will form a coalition composed solely of Zionist parties. Without Ra'am, without the Joint List, without Shas, and without United Torah Judaism." He further specified that Likud could be a significant partner if Benjamin Netanyahu is not leading it, but "with Netanyahu, the world would turn upside down, we will not sit in any situation." Crucially, he declared, "We will not support any minority government, not even a transitional minority government."
This stance renders the potential prime minister's plan to become prime minister through the abstention of Arab parties irrelevant. Lieberman expressed confidence that Yisrael Beiteinu would secure a solid majority in the upcoming elections, despite current polls. He also suggested that some Likud members of Knesset are disillusioned with Netanyahu's leadership and might be willing to join a Zionist coalition.
Some analysts interpret Lieberman's move as a strategic play to position himself for the premiership after the elections, similar to a past maneuver by Naftali Bennett against Yair Lapid. This could involve encouraging defections from Likud to form a government under Lieberman's leadership, one that achieves a strong majority without relying on Arab or Haredi parties, especially if the potential prime minister fails to form a government due to Lieberman's opposition to minority governments.
Conversely, other commentators believe Lieberman's current declaration aims to neutralize the Likud's claim that he would form a government with Arab support. They suggest that after the elections, he might still join the potential prime minister's bloc, accepting support or abstentions from those same parties.
Mentioned
